Xabi Alonso's Influence: Transforming Bayer Leverkusen into Bundesliga Title Contenders

Four of these runners-up spots were in the Bundesliga. Die Werkself also fell at the final hurdle in the DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League. A further Bundesliga second-place finish in 2010/11 and DFB-Pokal final defeat in 2019/20 followed. These final two cemented Bayer's unfortunate reputation.
Then, eight games into the 2022/23 season, Bayer Leverkusen were languishing in the Bundesliga's relegation zone. It seemed those heady runners-up days of yore would be the pinnacle in Bayer's 118-year-old history. Fans started praying for a miracle to save their club from a Bundesliga II future.
Cometh October 2022 cometh the man. And yes, cometh that miracle. On 5 October 2022, Xabier Alonso Olano took over as manager of Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Who is Xabi Alonso?

Xabi Alonso is a 41-year-old former world-class Spanish midfielder with Basque heritage. Among others, he wore the jerseys of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. His playing career spanned 547 club appearances while he also represented Spain on 114 occasions and the Basque Country on five.
After retiring as a player, Alonso moved into management, starting as Real Madrid Youth manager in 2018. The following year he moved to Real Sociedad to manage the Sociedad B team, where he stayed until Bayer Leverkusen came calling.
Despite Xabi Alonso being a highly pedigreed player, the Bayer Leverkusen hierarchy likely viewed him as a low-risk option. After all, it would be the Spanish manager's first top-level position. It's unlikely, though, that they could have anticipated how soon their new manager would turn their ailing squad around.
Only three days after taking the reins at Bayer, Xabi Alonso sat in the BayArena dugout for the first time. Die Werkself dominated the visiting opposition, Schalke. The home side won 4-0, giving its new manager the biggest debut win in the club's long history. Celebrations were short-lived, however, as it would be Bayer's only win in the next six games.
Alonso stuck to the task at hand though. His goal was to build a quick-passing, attacking team that would make life difficult for the opposition. Subsequently, three straight wins before the winter break moved Bayer Leverkusen up to 12th position in the league. Only five points separated Die Werkself from Wolfsburg in seventh - the last of the qualifying positions for Europe.
The second half of last season would see Bayer's improved form under Alonso continue. The club moved up the Bundesliga table and into sixth position after the final game week. This meant, since taking over, the new manager had overseen a Bayer climb of 11 league places in only 26 games. The "nearly men" had qualified for the 2023/24 Europa League.
Fans in the Leverkusen area of North Rhine-Westphalia lauded the club's new manager while anticipating the 2023/24 Bundesliga season with added optimism. Betting sites were also displaying this optimism and recognising Bayer Leverkusen's improvement under Xabi Alonso with the improved odds they offered.
The announcement of the fixture list for 2023/24 stemmed the optimism among bookies and supporters a little. Bayer did not have an easy start, kicking off the season against RB Leipzig at BayArena. Then, in week four, the team would visit the champions Bayern Munich away from home. Once again, sportsbooks adjusted the odds to reflect the tough draw.
The start of the new campaign brought more promise than fans, or bettors, could have predicted. Bayer Leverkusen beat RB Leipzig 3-2 in a tough encounter before also winning its next two games, scoring eight goals. This meant the match against Bayern at the Allianz Arena would be a top-of-the-table affair.
Bayern twice took the lead in the encounter, but Alonso's charges displayed grit and determination to come back and force a 2-2 draw. As a result, Die Werkself kept their position ahead of the champions on goal difference.
Three further victories since, and 10 more goals scored, means Bayer sits unbeaten atop the Bundesliga table. Still unbeaten, the club leads from Stuttgart, Bayern and Borussia Dortmund">Borussia Dortmund. Only two points separate the current top four, so Bayer's healthy +17 goal difference could be very helpful. Die Werkself also have a perfect record in Europe after two group stage rounds.
Bayern Munich has won the Bundesliga 11 times running, so it's not surprising the champion's odds reflect this. Betting sites make them strong favourites for 2023/24 at 11/4. Considering where Bayer Leverkusen was almost exactly a year ago, some may find the 6/1 quoted price on Alonso's side to be quite short.
Bayer's odds make second favourites ahead of Dortmund (10/1) and RB Leipzig (14/1). This provides more evidence of the fine job Alonso has done in turning Die Werkself into a real competitor. The prices on offer early last season are now a distant memory.
If you're looking to place a bet on Bayer Leverkusen or any of the other Bundesliga teams, consider this first. While betting is a bit of fun, it’s also about turning the most profit possible from your wagers. The odds, a reflection of implied probability, determine what you stand to gain from backing a winner. A bigger price equals greater returns, so betting on Bayer Leverkusen this season could potentially be a balance between good returns and a not-too-impossible bet (source: bettingsites.co.uk).
If any doubt still lingers in Alonso's ability to lead Bayer Leverkusen from being "nearly men" to eventual Bundesliga winners, the transfer business he's done in his short time at the club should provide more evidence.
During the off-season, he sold last season's talisman Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa. Some concerned whispers were likely heard around the city of Leverkusen at the time, but they wouldn't have lasted long. New signings began arriving, and their performances restored total faith in the manager.
New arrivals Victor Boniface and Jonas Hofmann are both scoring goals almost at will, while Granit Xhaka is bossing the midfield. The money from Diaby's sale has been very well spent.
The progressive attitude Xabi Alonso has brought to Die Werkself typifies his playing days. In a short space of time, the Spanish general has shown what passing, attacking football can achieve with the right players. The "nearly men" have a compact defence, a solid midfield and a potent strikeforce. Could this mean Bayer Leverkusen's glory days are actually still on the way?